Original Source: LJWorld.com
By Micki Chestnut | United Way of Douglas County
When incoming kindergartners at Pinckney and Woodlawn elementary schools show up for kindergarten roundup this month, chances are they will be excited, and a little anxious, about the school year to come.
To help get kids ready for their first day of elementary school, during kindergarten roundup the teachers at these two schools will give each student a United Way Literacy Kit, packed full of fun and engaging learning activities inspired by the popular children’s book “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.”
The Literacy Kits, created by two United Way of Douglas County volunteers who have spent their careers in early-childhood education, reinforce the skills kindergarten teachers said they wanted children to practice before they arrive at school in August. Jan Brummell, former executive director of the Douglas County Child Development Association, and Stephanie Struble, who taught at Kids First Preschool for two decades, designed the kits as part of United Way’s education goal, to ensure Douglas County children enter school ready to learn.
“Kindergarten can be a scary thing or an exciting thing. There is a lot of anxiety for a child and their parents going in. If they can have anything that makes them feel comfortable that first day, that’s an asset,” Brummell said. “The kids will be a little more ready to start learning. It helps everybody, the students and the teachers. It makes the first day more positive and helps kids acclimate to the school environment.”
As parents and children enjoy the learning games and activities in the literacy kits, the children will get a better idea of what to expect in kindergarten, and their parents will have a chance to engage in their children’s learning, a pattern that research shows can positively affect their child’s academic success.
“Teachers aren’t able to send home anything at kindergarten roundup, so they are thrilled to have these literacy kits for the kids to take home,” Struble said.
Creating the 90 literacy kits for the two elementary schools has been “a really big collaborative effort between the United Way, schools and volunteers,” Struble said. Employees at Hallmark Cards, the Bioscience Technology Business Center, Big Heart Pet Brands and Protection 1 Security System volunteered to assemble the kits, which took about an hour each. Funds to purchase a copy of “Chicka Chick Boom Boom” for each student and kit supplies were donated by Briggs Auto Group and other donors, and Signs of Life offered the books at a discount.
“The money and time put into making these kits takes a load off our staff and the parents as well. We are so grateful,” said Kristi Hill, principal of Pinckney Elementary School and daughter of Roger Hill, for whom the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center was named. “By having the literacy kits to give to parents to take home, we hope that they will work with their child, so we can hit the ground running from the very first day of school.”
“With United Way having the goal of education, and to help kids be ready to learn in kindergarten, it’s such a wonderful fit,” Brummel said. “It not only brings this tool to schools and parents, it also brings the community into the goal because the people in the companies who are putting together the kits will see that we really all need to help these kids be ready for school. We want the community as a whole to see the need to support young children.”
The roundup at Pinckney is scheduled for Monday, and the roundup for Woodlawn is scheduled for April 28.
— Micki Chestnut is the director of communications for the United Way of Douglas County.